Death and palliative care in corona time: dilemma between distance and proximity

Healthcare professionals in protective suits, unable to touch loved ones, and not able to say goodbye for fear of contamination. Corona time has a lot of impact on care around death and the palliative phase, according to the first findings of a recent ZonMw study into death and palliative care in corona time. Doctors find the work mentally and physically more demanding. Nevertheless, they can often provide good emotional support to patients and relatives. In 1 in 10 cases, they are less positive and describe the death as hectic, chaotic, or degrading.